Friday, 16 August 2013

CRITICAL THINKING

I read Google Alerts everyday on Common Core. I even read articles that people send me. One excellent article from the Missouri Education Watchdog, written by a teacher, knocked me right off my chair. The teacher said, " If teachers are supposed to teach critical thinking, I guess they should be able to THINK CRITICALLY."YES!! YES!! YES!! But are they thinking CRITICALLY about Common Core? Not much. Why not? Essentially CRITICAL THINKING is not paying their paycheck- going along pays the big dividends.

But let's talk about CRITICAL THINKING just for a moment. I was at a town hall in Big Sandy on Common Core. The Office of Public Instruction had sent their stooges. These young teachers were absolutely convinced that they had written Montana's Common Core Standards!! They were absolutely convinced that this was a states initiative.Well ladies, let's bring in some of the CRITICAL THINKING you write so much about - a VERY SIMPLE QUESTION- if, as you say,every school in America (and even the WORLD) will be teaching the same things at the same time so that military families that move won't have any adjustments to make - how could you have written it? Come on ladies- admit it- you aligned Montana Standards to what you were told to do- you put Montana in the Common Core box- you created nothing. And Yet, these young teachers were totally convinced that they had written individual standards for Montana- you have to wonder how people can be so utterly blind- and at the same time they are speaking loftily of all this CRITICAL THINKING they will be teaching!!!

Let's look at the societal breakdown. Schools are having unbelievable problems with behavior these days. Let's do some CRITICAL THINKING about what could actually be causing this. If you teach children to "QUESTION AUTHORITY" do you think they will RESPECT AUTHORITY? Seriously now,don't you think, teaching very young children with the cognitive abilities of a young child,to think that they are the same as adults, might cause some frustration, confusion, and disarray? Don't you think giving these children GUIDANCE so that they respect authority and learn some morality might be a better way to go? I'm just saying.

The lack of CRITICAL THINKING among the liberal left that wants us all to be critical thinkers, IS STAGGERING!! I was treated to the report from the rapacious school lunch program director at the last school board meeting. He's tracking which kids eat lunch and breakfast at school and then calling parents of kids who qualify for free and reduced lunch if their kids don't buy meals at school!! He's not going to miss any dollars. He grabs kids in the high school parking lot and tries to force them to buy breakfast!! Imagine- soliciting in the school parking lot!!THEN THERE'S THE SUMMER PROGRAM. As reported by the director- kids who eat at school come up to him and wonder how they will eat in the summer!! Talk to any person on the liberal left- they are totally convinced these poor kids are HUNGRY!!-- EVEN STARVING!!Well, he started his program this year with 360 kids- they had games and gave out free books to attract participants. Let's start the CRITICAL THINKING- if you were STARVING, if you had NO FOOD, would you need free books and games to attract you to food give aways?I'm guessing not. But, let's go on. Did the food director's numbers stay at 360- sadly for his business, absolutely not. In August he's having trouble just getting ONE HUNDRED and sixty. His reason for this? THE KIDS ARE ON VACATION!!! Come on now - let's CRITICALLY THINK- if the kids families can afford to go on vacation do you think they can afford a sandwich?? Think real hard- hmmm.And my all time favorite- liberals will say if put in a corner- that well, maybe families do have food- BUT THEY JUST WON'T FEED THEIR CHILDREN!! CRITICAL THINKING AGAIN- think real hard- just a question- HOW DID THEY MAKE IT TO FIVE YEARS OF AGE WITHOUT BEING FED?!!Seriously- do you trust that these individuals know how to critical think and that they will teach it to YOUR CHILDREN?

Liberals will buy into anything-they still think the DARE program that was supposed to stop or at least decrease drug usage, and has actually overseen increased drug usage for thirty years, is working!!These are the people who want to drag your children around the "community" doing community service and "connectivity" events and garden and work in groups to get an education.CRITICAL THINKING AGAIN- do you think if kids stayed in school and on the task of reading and individual LEARNING OF FACTS that our schools might start doing better? Just a thought.

Seriously, one response to the teacher's blog was spot on. With Common Core the big money interests (Bill Gates) and the Federal Government have partnered up and this is a scary scenario for any kind of freedom or local control. AMERICA- START DOING SOME CRITICAL THINKING- DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE AN INDIVIDUAL AND TO THINK AS THIS TEACHER HAS DONE, SAVE YOURSELF AND YOUR COUNTRY BY FIGHTING BACK INSTEAD OF PUTTING YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND. WE CAN ALL DO THE CRITICAL THINKING I HAVE POINTED OUT HERE- DON'T BE A FOLLOWER ANYMORE- BE A CRITICAL THINKER!!

About Me

"Education not Agendas, Put Parents back in the Driver's Seat."
I have a bachelors in Early Childhood Education, Special Ed. & a Masters in Children's Literacy. I know student achievement. From 1975-2005 I taught both elementary and special education classes inHelena Public Schools. I am married with two grown children.